Easter Statement by Browning and Kafity on Peace and Justice in the Middle East
Episcopal News Service. April 4, 1994 [94077]
The Most Rev. Edmond L. Browning, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, The Most Rev. Samir Kafity, President-Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East
Christ is risen. Alleluia! 'Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you.'
For these last ten days we have been on a pilgrimage in the Holy Land; a spiritual journey consecrated to the cause of peace for the peoples of this region. Along with our companions we traveled to the land of Egypt, where God called his people forth into a covenant with him; and to Damascus and the place where Paul's vision was restored after his conversion. In Damascus we met with one of our ecumenical partners from Iraq who told us of the suffering of millions of innocent people in the aftermath of the Gulf war and the ensuing sanctions. We came away convinced that the international community needs to end these sanctions and provide humanitarian relief and work for peace with the same energy with which it prepared for war.
We continued to Amman in the land that Jesus walked, and to Jerusalem, the site of God's mightiest act in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Here we celebrated the rites of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter. We also visited the Gaza and passed through Hebron, the site of the recent massacre.
We said our prayers and we listened to the voices of the people. We listened to Christians from the Orthodox and Latin traditions speak of the difficulty of being a Christian in the Middle East when so-called "Christian countries in the West demonize all Arabs and Muslims as terrorists." And we broke bread with the Grand Mufti of Syria of the Muslim faith. We accepted his challenge to work for peace across Christian/Muslim boundaries as a prelude to a tripartite dialogue.
We were graciously received by the President of Egypt, the King of Jordan and the Prime Minister of Israel. And we found enormous good will among them for the cause of peace.
Most of all we listened to and prayed with those who suffer from persecution, hate, fear and oppression. By their witness and courage we have been spiritually renewed for our own ministries.
Our pilgrimage experience has strengthened our resolve to continue our witness for peace in this land. We reaffirm our partnership and solidarity with one another as leaders of our respective regional churches. We invite other Provinces of the Anglican Communion to join with us in this unique partnership.
We reaffirm our commitment to support the creation of a sovereign state for a new Palestine while assuring peace and security for Israel.
We express our dismay at the uneven approach to the Israeli/Palestinian problem by the United States government for so many years and deplore the uncritical support of many members of the U.S. Congress for positions of the Israeli lobby in Washington. Palestinians may not have equal access to the halls of Congress, but they are no less deserving of justice.
We note with equal dismay President Bill Clinton's repeated campaign position that Jerusalem be the capital of Israel. We consider this to be an unfortunate capitulation to the Israeli lobby. Although claiming to express his personal view, the President put that opinion into policy as a result of the U.S. abstention on the United Nations resolution vote which referred to East Jerusalem as occupied territory. In adopting this disturbing position, President Clinton overlooks the profound issue of Jerusalem as a city sacred to Muslims and Christians as well as Jews. We oppose any agreement that would allow one faith to monopolize control of the holy places. Genuine peace for the holy city of Jerusalem must respect, equally, all three Abrahamic faiths.
We were appalled at the misery of Palestinians living in Gaza without the most basic of human services and the complete absence of fundamental human rights. Washington can best serve the cause of peace by assuring the strong economic development of a Palestine free from occupation and oppression. We believe this can be best demonstrated by generosity to a sovereign Palestine commensurate with its generosity to Israel, assuring the peace and prosperity of both Israel and the new Palestine.
Despite assurances to the United States government by Israel, we saw the construction of settlements continuing at an alarming rate. This exasperating policy by Israel remains a deep impediment to the peace process. A Palestinian voice aptly referred to the settlements as a cancer in the peace process. We urgently seek an end to U.S. loan guarantees and the withholding of aid until this practice has ceased once and for all.
While not having time to visit Nazareth and Galilee, Palestinians from the area came to us and pleaded that the rights of Arabs living in Israel not be lost in the peace process. We note with deep concern the contention of Arabs in Israel that democracy excludes them.
We believe that true peace for both Palestinians and Israelis and all the peoples of the Middle East must be built on the goodwill of men and women on all sides in all places. The deepest values of the three Abrahamic faiths call us into a relationship with one another based on justice and mutual respect.
The Most Rev. Edmond L. Browning, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church
The Most Rev. Samir Kafity, President-Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East